MovieChat Forums > Kate Capshaw Discussion > Did 'Temple of Doom' ruin her career/cre...

Did 'Temple of Doom' ruin her career/credibility as an actress?


Seriously, even though "Temple of Doom" was a hit, her career really didn't flourish afterwards, not after all the negative reviews she took. Bad luck (not counting marrying Spielberg years later) or did the film simply give people a negative perception of her, thus handicapping her career?

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Bad luck (not counting marrying Spielberg years later) or did the film simply give people a negative perception of her, thus handicapping her career?
No - I believe Temple of Doom simply brought her acting abilities (or lack thereof) to broad public attention.

Yes, her career was ruined by IJ:ToD, but don't blame the movie itself. Blame her performace.


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I believe her age was a reason why she never made it big after Temple of Doom... Remember she was already 30 when she was filming Indy (a late start), and Capshaw mentions she already had careers in Education, a Model and then an actress when she got the job in 'The Edge of Night'. She did so-so films and TV in the '80s. A couple are still regularly watch these days (Black Rain and SpaceCamp) but like Amy Irving, her career was much effected after marrying Steven Spielberg and is known as Mrs. Spielberg, not an actress in her own right. Irving however continues to work...

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Age had nothing to do with it, not having the acting skills was what did it. Lots of actresses start in their 30's as a matter of fact, they seem to be more popular in their 30's. Although Capshaw looked like she was in her 40's, she still sucked unbelievable in movie. I liked the character and thought if it were played by someone who wasn't overacting it would have been one of my favorites.

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Correct.

While age can make a difference when it comes to women with no acting talents (and thus are just there for the looks), a woman with acting talents wouldn't be stopped by being around 30. She wasn't anywhere near old enough to fail to have a career based on age if she delivered a good performance.


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You're all being too tough on her. I thought she was wonderful in the film. It was never meant to be a subtle part. She looked beautiful, had chemistry with Harrison Ford, and was so funny and even a relatable character. It was over-the-top but in a fun way that she pulled off. Sure, she wasn't Glenn Close and wasn't going to have that kind of career afterwards. The 1980s weren't that kind to lead actresses, and we already had Kathleen Turner and Nastassja Kinski, both of whom started to see their careers drop by the mid-to-late-'80s.

If Capshaw didn't have a career, other than essentially dropping out once she got married, it wasn't because she wasn't talented so much as she was a leading-lady type and yet, for all her spark in IJ, wasn't unique enough to be one of the select few leading ladies of the '80s.

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I agree totally with Dr. Hieronymus. She is a terrible actress who only got the part because she spread her legs for the director.

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The point of acting is to bring a character found in a script to life. Anyone criticizing Kate's performance should take a look at the script, Willie Scott is supposed to be a whiny, annoying brat.

Have a fist fight with Lucas or Speiberg if you felt that Scott was underdeveloped, Kate did a fine job of bringing her character to life.

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Exactly! I agree with this 100%

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So many idiots, so little time.

Newhenpal, your comments are spot on. The character was supposed to be annoying, self-centred, and whiny.

She did fine with the part. Let's face it, the movie was a popcorn movie, not Shakespeare, right?

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Why is this so hard for people to see? The character was loud and whiny and pulled it off great.

I think Kate’s biggest problem was being over 30 and more or less competing with Kim Basinger, Sharon Stone and maybe Meg Ryan. Kate might have held her own if she had been 24 but Hollywood spits out women at 30 if they’re not superstars.

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Yeah, I feel Capshaw played the character of Willie the way it was meant to be played; she wasn't supposed to be super likable and was supposed to be annoying, and she was. I found her amusing, and a pain in the buns, so I liked her in a "my eyes are rolling" kind of way.

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